Daily Dothttp://www.dailydot.com/Daily Dot Articleen-usTue, 24 Jul 2012 18:55:35 +0000Mortal Instruments fans outraged over casting of Asian actorhttp://www.dailydot.com/upstream/mortal-instruments-godfrey-gao-backlash/<p><img src='http://cdn0.dailydot.com/cache/3f/8a/3f8a0cb46401660ed651628c2045819e.jpg'></p><p>
While the rest of fandom anxiously wondered who would play Finnick Odair in the next <em>Hunger Games</em> movie, fans of Cassandra Clare&rsquo;s mega-bestselling <em>Mortal Instruments</em> were holding their breath over the casting of one of their own favorite characters.</p>
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A hefty YA series chock-full of demons and vampires, the <em>Shadowhunters</em> series of which <em>Mortal Instruments</em> is a part has sold over 6 million copies and garnered a huge fanbase. On sites like the<a href="http://shadowhunters.wikia.com/"> Shadowhunters Wiki</a>, one of the largest Clare fansites on the Internet, fans have invested deeply in the casting of the series&rsquo; first film adaptation, <em>City of Bones</em>, due out in August of 2013.</p>
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Fans especially adore Magnus Bane, a wizard who develops an incredibly popular relationship with another male character through the series. On July 20,&nbsp;<a href="http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/27570303425/casting-news-magnus-bane">casting was announced</a>: Godfrey Gao, whom the author called &ldquo;the hottest man in the world,&rdquo; would be playing the beloved role.</p>
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So why aren&rsquo;t fans happy?</p>
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Because to many of them, nothing says &ldquo;gay wizard&rdquo; like Adam Lambert. Ever since the pop star&rsquo;s rise to fame three years ago on <em>American Idol</em>, he&rsquo;s been the <a href="http://nejisorariku.tumblr.com/post/26984886487/team-magnus">fan favorite</a> to play Magnus.</p>
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Magnus, however, has been described in the series as being of Southeast Asian descent. Whitewashing and<a href="http://racebending.com/"> racebending</a> are nothing new in Hollywood, but in this case, unlike other <a href="http://www.racebending.com/v4/blog/supporting-character-whitewashed-film-adaptation-warm-bodies/">less fortunate authors</a>, Clare had the clout to insist that Magnus be played by an actor who shared the character&rsquo;s ethnic origins.</p>
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&ldquo;[W]e emailed briefly,&rdquo; said Clare in her jubilant announcement, &ldquo;and [Gao] said &lsquo;I&rsquo;m half Southeast Asian, because my mom is Peranakan Malaysian And my dad is Shanghainese - Soo hopefully the fans will like me playing Magnus!&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
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Although Clare has always made her views about the importance of accurate casting clear; many fans either <a href="http://kimchipr0.tumblr.com/post/21993189372/ok-first-of-all-haruma-miura-would-not-make-a">refused</a> to <a href="http://kimchipr0.tumblr.com/post/22112890820/no-offense-but-i-cant-see-why-anyone-wouldnt">listen</a> or simply <a href="https://twitter.com/SalvatoreRunes/status/226074838610108416">didn&rsquo;t get the memo</a>. As news of Gao&rsquo;s casting spread, fans who&rsquo;ve spent years wishing for Lambert to play the part erupted in outrage.</p>
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&ldquo;There goes Adam&rsquo;s chance,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/GlambulgeGirl/status/226792269615861760">opined one fan</a> on Twitter. &nbsp;</p>
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By the end of the day, there was even a <a href="http://sassy-equalist.tumblr.com/post/27608191017/magnus-bane-tag-drinking-game">Magnus Casting drinking game</a> on Tumblr.</p>
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&ldquo;Well, that was fast,&rdquo; Racebending<a href="http://racebending.tumblr.com/post/27673591007/well-that-was-fast-fans-reactions-to-godfrey"> posted on Tumblr</a> in response to the backlash. Referring to similar<a href="http://www.dailydot.com/society/hunger-games-racist-tweets/"> backlash over Amandla Stenberg&rsquo;s casting</a> in <em>The Hunger Games</em>, they added, &ldquo;Seems eerily [similar] to <em>Hunger Games</em>&nbsp;tweets and fans <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/society/hunger-games-racist-tweets/">surprised that Rue was black</a>.&rdquo;</p>
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<a href="http://muscatlove.tumblr.com/post/27909788464/lierdumoa-sarahreesbrennan">Condemnation was swift</a> around fan communities, especially once Clare herself stepped into the fray.<a href="http://cassandraclare.tumblr.com/post/27700846778/magnus-and-whitewashing"> Reblogging a post</a> from June 27, wherein she discussed putting her foot down over the role, Clare added, &ldquo;I thought it bore reblogging (especially now that we do have a Magnus, and he is, as I hoped and prayed and insisted, going to be played by an Asian actor. A really talented, really handsome, really awesome Asian actor.)&rdquo;</p>
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As for Gao, he<a href="https://twitter.com/GodfreyGao/status/227739370856263680"> thanked fans for the support</a> on his Twitter, and added that he was &ldquo;anxious to play Magnus Bane.&rdquo; &nbsp;</p>
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With a year to go before the movie release, <em>Shadowhunters</em> fans will have plenty of time to get used to the idea.</p>
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<em>Photo via <a href="https://twitter.com/godfreygao">Twitter</a></em></p>
aja@dailydot.com (Aja Romano)Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:55:35 +0000http://www.dailydot.com/upstream/mortal-instruments-godfrey-gao-backlash/UpstreamSocietyTumblr